Benetke nel corpus Nova beseda. Qualche considerazione sull’idea di Venezia in alcuni classici della letteratura slovena

Venice in the Nova beseda text corpus Some considerations on the idea of Venice in some classic works of Slovenian literature Using material provided by one of the principal Slovenian literary corpora available on-line and based on examples which in my opinion are representative, in this paper I have sought to offer a brief illustration of the presence of the idea of Venice in Slovenian literature, in particular as found in a number of classic works of prose. While a small part of what is now modern-day Slovenia was at times – for varying periods in its history – under the dominion of the Serenissima’s vast and variegated maritime empire, most was encompassed within the equally multi-ethnic Austro-Germanic empire. Therefore for the vast majority of Slovenians, Venice was for centuries a neighbouring city-state which aroused feelings of outright emnity or at best mistrust. It is perhaps for this reason that references to the Most Serene Republic in Slovenian literature are less frequent than one might expect. In this brief paper I have examined in particular the occurrence of terms indicating “Venice” or “Venetian” in three 20th century writers from three different generations: Ivan Cankar, the only novelist among the fin de siècle group of poets and playwrights who helped found modernism in Slovene literature, Ciril Kosmač, a writer of subtle psychological depth whose early work showed an affinity with social realism, and Drago Jančar, one of the most renowned contemporary Slovenian authors whose work continues. These three are the only writers whose entire body of work is to be found in the corpus. By focussing on them and by taking into consideration other authors also to be found in the Nova beseda, some interesting data emerge. Although the limited amount of material it was possible to examine and the inevitably superficial nature of the analysis due to lack of space mean it would be unwise to draw definitive conclusions, it does seem possible to affirm that the idea of Venice is especially present in prose works of the 19th and 20th centuries which recount stories set in the past, in particular the 16th and 17th centuries, whereas the image of the city – no longer city-state – in contemporary settings by the writers is one of a place that fascinates for its charm, elegance and rich culture. This magical city built upon water is shown in turn as the homeland of more or less untrustworthy merchants, a symbol of affluence and good taste, an Art City par excellence, a refuge for dreamers and voyagers: it is the image of a destination which is to a certain extent strange and unreal, but not totally inaccessible, a place where one may seek in practical terms a better life or, even more frequently, one may seek to flee from daily humdrum by submerging onself in its evocative, dreamlike atmosphere, or simply by evoking that atmosphere through the imagination.